The 2019 SSFH Annual Conference

The Society for the Study of French History held its 33rd annual conference at the University of Leeds from 28th-9th July 2019.

Theme: Legacies

Recent years have been replete with significant anniversaries of landmark events within French history: from the Reformation to the Centenary, Sétif and 1968. This conference invites reflections on the legacies of these and other important historical moments. What happened next to the men and women who lived through these events? How did they understand and deal with the after effects of the changes wrought within their families and communities? How were the structures as well as the material fabric of societies reconceptualised and rebuilt? What new configurations – political, economic, social – emerged? Were these changes ephemeral or enduring? How were such events represented and remembered? How have these historical moments echoed down the years and to what extent do they continue to shape life in France and in France’s former colonies?

We encourage people to interpret ‘legacies’ in the broadest possible terms, taking into account social, cultural, imperial, political, economic, military, gendered and other dimensions. Interventions tackling commemorative afterlives and contemporary resonances are also welcome.

In addition to the conference theme, we also invite papers or panels on any aspect of French history from the early medieval to the contemporary period and we welcome contributions that reflect the broad diversity of the history of France and its former colonial empire.

Invited speakers included:
Professor Barbara Diefendorf (Boston University, emeritus), Professor Olivette Otele (Bath Spa University), Professor Michelle Zancarini-Fournel (Université Lyon-1, emeritus) and Dr. Bibia Pavard (Université Paris II).

The conference programme is available here.